Krypton Tagging Velocimetry Study of Unsteady Effects in an Inductively-Coupled Plasma Torch

Krypton tagging velocimetry (KTV) was used to measure the velocity profile in an argon plasma jet from an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) torch. When operating at a subsonic, atmospheric pressure condition, the centerline flow velocity varies from below 5 m/s to 25 m/s following a 180 Hz oscillation from the torch power supply. Installation of a vacuum chamber and a Mach 2 nozzle allows the torch to be operated in a low-pressure subsonic condition in which the peak velocity was measured to be 1725 m/s. The fluorescence intensity was used to measure a radial temperature profile in the supersonic jet with a peak temperature of 2216K.